Counselling With Elisa

25/10/2024

The way we speak to children, matters.
It ends up being the way they speak about themselves;
& the way they speak about others.
Kindness is taught. Self-love is taught.

🤍🤍

27/06/2022

Some emotions can feel overwhelming to feel + uncomfortable. Especially for those who have had to survive and adapt to dysfunctional / unhealthy environments growing up or who have been through trauma(s). To survive, we use different coping mechanisms as a way to protect ourselves & literally, survive. Those could include not feeling our emotions, feeling numb, dissociating (being physically here but our mind is not present) and more.
First, remember that you have been surviving + adapting in the best ways you could. Give yourself compassion.
Slowly start to help your body feel safe (the nervous system is in fight & flight ---> instead of rest & digest) - showing safety to your body can look like:
♡ taking a few deep breaths/ practicing belly breathing daily
♡ spending time in nature
♡ moving your body
♡ becoming aware of your body (shifting from your mind and going back to your body)
♡ nourishing your body
♡ spending some time in the sun
♡ being around people with whom you feel safe + you can connect to
♡ clod exposure (cold showers, holding a cube of ice in your hands, swimming in the ocean)
♡ play/ creativity - doing something just for fun
♡ using mantras to reassure your body (for example "I am safe right now" / "my body is safe right now").... and so on....
Focus on what feels right for you.
This is a process, it takes time, be patient + keep being compassionate with yourself.
🤍

19/05/2022

Feeling angry is NOT a bad thing.
Feeling angry is just an emotion, such as feeling joy, sadness or guilt for example. ALL your emotions are valid - and your emotion of anger is valid too. You have the right to feel however you are feeling.
Feeling anger often indicates that a boundary has been crossed or that something is unfair, unjust or that something isn't aligned with our truth/authentic self. BE CURIOUS about the anger that you are feeling, tend to it with compassion & when you're ready, release it with grace.

27/04/2022

In a world that feels like chaos right now + with the hustle culture that pushes us to always be busy - it can be so beneficial to allow some time in your day to slow down, sit in stillness, lay down in a calm environment, in silence, in nature.
It is healing for our nervous system to slow down + to provide moments of calmness & silence.
While you're doing this, witness + observe what's happening internally, without judgmeent. Become the observer of your thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations - while giving yourself compassion.
Have you tried this lately? Is this something you may need at the moment?

18/04/2022

We often say "time heals all wounds". Time doesn't actually heal. It is what you do during that time that matters most.

How can you support your mental health?

What can you put in place in your life to support your healing?

How can you take care of yourself?

06/04/2022

Are you getting enough sleep?
Proper, deep, restful sleep? Are you getting enough rest?
Sometime we are physically tired and sometimes we are emotionally tired. Sometimes we are both!
Listen to your body cues/signals, and give yourself the rest your body and mind need. Allow yourself to take a break, rest, sleep, sit in silence, do nothing or do something relaxing (even for 5 minutes).
Do you need sleep and rest right now?

01/04/2022

I think most of us can relate to this. How many times have you been told not to cry? How many times have you said it to someone else, sometimes by default (because you've heard it so many times yourself!)?
Crying is human. Crying is a human response which can often help calm the nervous system. Crying is part of our humanness.
Let's normalise crying + allowing ourselves to feel our emotions and let's hold space for our loved ones to do so too without shaming them.
If you have some difficulties crying, consider the following questions: 💫have you been told not to cry when you were a child/teenager (or even an adult!)? 💫 or, did it not feel safe for you to cry in your childhood perhaps? 💫 were you shamed for crying or expressing your emotions before?
Remind yourself / your inner child that it is now safe to cry and feel your emotions. 🙏🏽

23/03/2022

You are worthy of all the love you give to others 🌈
It's OK to give. It's OK to receive too. It's OK to give yourself the love you deserve. You are worthy of receiving love, too.
How can you give yourself some love today? What does it look like for you? How can you practice more of this?

22/03/2022

Visualise your happy place.
Close your eyes. Take a few deep, long breaths.
Think about a place that makes you happy, a place where you feel comfortable/ content. Now imagine that you are there.
What can you see in this special place of yourself? Focus on the things you can see with your eyes.
What can you hear? Focus on the sounds that you can hear while being there.
What can you touch, in that special place? Maybe it is the mud underneath your feet, or the warm sun...
Can you smell something? Can you taste something in particular?
How are you feeling in this special happy place? What are the sensations that are coming up in your body while visualising your happy place?
💫 you can go back to that happy place whenever you feel like it, or want to.
If you feel comfortable sharing where your visualisation sent you, feel free to comment below 🤍

25 w

21/03/2022

Gentle reminder ~
You are human. You have needs. Having needs does not make you needy. It makes you human.
What are your needs at the moment? What is it that you need? (a few examples could be the need for connection, safety, validation, love, physical touch, speaking your truth / communication, time alone, time to process, crying, ect)
How can you honor your needs right now? How can you respond to your needs?
For example, responding to our own needs could be allowing ourselves to have time alone, allowing ourselves to process, to cry, to speak up, speak our truth, to self validate, to self hug ect.
It is also OK to communicate our needs to the people around us. To hold boundaries. To ask for what we need. Having needs does not make you needy.
-care

15/03/2022

When your therapist says "sit with your emotion(s)"...
Sitting with your emotion(s) sometimes mean:
🌠 naming the emotion(s) ~ what emotion(s) am I feeling right now?
🌠 grounding yourself through grounding exercises, spending time in nature, body scan ect
🌠 breathing through the emotion(s)
🌠 radical acceptance ~ accepting what comes up right now and reminding yourself it is OK to feel
🌠 being mindful and aware ~ noticing the sensations that are coming up in the body, being aware of your thoughts (without judgment), being mindful of how your body feels
🌠 self soothing ~ what can you do to take care of yourself as "big emotions" come up?
All emotions are neutral. There are no positive vs. negative emotions. Some are more uncomfortable than others. But all are neutral.
Humans feel emotions. Give yourself permission to feel your emotions. Sit with it. Breathe through it. Take care of yourself in the process.
What works for you when you feel big emotions?